"Well," the Illini coach said, "not being ranked hasn't bothered our players at all, so being ranked won't bother them, either. At the same time, it's nice to see your name in there, to be recognized for all the work you've done.

"I guess from a fans' perspective--and coaches and players are fans too--there is a sense of, `Finally, we're ranked.' With only a couple of weeks to go in the season it's a nice time to be ranked too."

Illinois (18-8, 10-3 Big Ten) is still in contention for the regular-season title, has effectively clinched an NCAA tournament bid and is one win away from clinching a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament.

Always ready: In a span of 58 games over two seasons, Kruger's five senior starters--Kevin Turner, Jerry Hester, Jarrod Gee, Brian Johnson and Matt Heldman--have never had a losing streak longer than two games. They dropped back-to-back games to Wisconsin and Iowa in January of last year and have had three two-game losing streaks this season.

"I've never been around a club that has been as consistent in its readiness to play every game as this one," Kruger said as he prepared his team for Wednesday's home game against Northwestern. "With seniors they're more apt to realize it's a long season. This group has done a good job of not letting a big victory or disappointing loss affect them in the next ballgame."

Race is on: If Purdue finishes tied with Michigan State for the regular-season title, it could have Illinois to thank for being seeded No. 1 in the Big Ten tournament. With two victories over the Illini, the second tiebreaker (record vs. next-best team) could go to the Boilermakers if Illinois finishes third. The Spartans and Illini split their two games. The first tie-breaker is head-to-head competition. Michigan State, which beat Purdue 74-57 on Dec. 30, plays host to the Boilermakers on Feb. 28 or March 1 in the regular-season finale.

Closing in: After scoring 27 points against Illinois and 34 against Northwestern, Michigan State sophomore point guard Mateen Cleaves became the odds-on favorite for Big Ten player of the year. Purdue senior guard Chad Austin, though, is making a late run at the award.

Drawing increased attention from defenses, Cleaves was held to 11 points by Illinois and nine by Minnesota Saturday.

"I'm not frustrated," Cleaves said. "I had a good first half of the season. Hey, I'm just going to have to deal with it. I'm just going to have to add more to my game."

Cleaves did just that against the Gophers, with 10 assists and nine steals. Austin, meanwhile, has led Purdue in scoring in three of the last four games with 24, 23 and 26 points.

If he played for any other team, Northwestern senior center Evan Eschmeyer might be a shoo-in for the award. Eschmeyer leads the league in scoring (20.8), rebounding (9.8) and shooting percentage (.572).

Get your tickets: There is no general public ticket sale for the first Big Ten postseason tournament, March 5-8 at the United Center. Each conference school received an allotment of 1,600 tickets. Northwestern assistant ticket manager Mark Wesolowski said the school still has a "handful" of tickets left. Call 1-847-491-2287. Wisconsin had more than 600 tickets, priced at $200, remaining as of Tuesday afternoon. Call the Kohl Center box office at 608-262-1440. Illinois' 1,600 tickets are all gone.